We Want to Help You Connect to BU

Boston University’s campus is a big environment. Every day, it bustles with the activity of at least 40,000 students, professors, faculty, and employees. It’s situated smack dab in the middle of an even bigger city, so it’s also a nonexclusive environment. There are no gates, no ivory walls, and, well, no Quad. As a result, BU class buildings are mixed in with office buildings, BU residences mixed in with private residences, and even BU-run restaurants on the same block as private establishments. As a result, BU doesn’t really feel like a cohesive community. Instead, it feels more like a network: everything in our community is linked, but because everything is also so dispersed, it’s often hard to see how.

One of the things we try to do with the Quad is write articles that help tie this dispersed community together. We think BU has a lot of hidden treasures that get lost among all of the stuff that happens at this school. So we look for breaking news, events, student groups, creatives, that are different and interesting, that maybe aren’t getting noticed as much as they should be, or that flat out blow us away. We don’t claim to cover everything that happens, but we do try to at least be in touch with the pulse of this community, and write articles that connect you, the reader, to university and especially other students who are doing good things for the BU community. We also welcome your creative submissions and suggestions on things to cover and how to improve on our coverage.

But a problem still remains. In a large environment like this one, it’s easy to be anonymous. This can be a boon for students who want to live quietly, but it can also lead to feeling disconnected. It’s hard to keep on top of BU news and events, because it moves so fast. It’s even harder to be noticed in the stream of data. Individuals in this community interact with other individuals every day; but because the place is so large and moves so fast, it’s often impossible for them to connect.

Today, we’re officially announcing the launch of I Saw You @ BU, a missed connection site geared specifically for BU students. The purpose of the site is simple. If you’ve ever seen someone and wanted to say something, but weren’t been able to for any reason, this is the place to reach out and say those things. It’s the place to appreciate individuals on this campus who stood out to you for any reason whatsoever. It’s a place for you to see if anyone’s been noticing you.

You can post a missed connection anonymously or, if you’re more daring, login using your Facebook account. We encourage you to visit the website at http://isawyoubu.com, follow I Saw You @ BU on twitter and become a fan of the application on Facebook.

We also welcome suggestions for the new service either via the I Saw You @ BU twitter account (@isawyoubu), or via email (isawyoubu@buquad.com).

Thanks, and have a nice day.